The Best Turntable for Casual Listening

After spending over 62 total hours comparing turntables and measuring their performance using $30,000+ worth of equipment, we’ve determined that the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB is the best turntable for most people. It is highly adjustable, has a built-in phono preamp for hassle-free setup, sounds great out of the box, and even has a built-in USB port if you want to digitize your LP collection. It’s also very speed accurate, according to our tests. Why do our tests matter so much? Because we found competitors in this space that exhibited audible speed shifts at least 2x worse than what their specs claim. When it comes to turntables, what the companies say they can do don’t always match up with reality.

January 8, 2015:
Our main pick, the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB, is out of stock across the web. While we wait for it to become available again, if you need a new turntable right away, you should consider our runner-up, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon. It costs twice as much, but it also sounds a lot better than our pick and supports higher-end cartridges.

October 31, 2014:

Updated with our long-term test notes: We've been using the A-T turntable for listening since we picked it six months ago, and we haven't seen--or heard--any issues with it so far.

March 26, 2014:
Setting this to wait status while we rewrite the guide with a new pick. While the Pro-Ject is still the best turntable overall, technical testing data combined with hands-on listening revealed that the Audio Technica we currently have as a step down is more than good enough for a $250 table. So we're going to recommend the AT as the overall pick and keep the Pro-Ject as our pick for people who want to spend a little more.

October 16, 2013:
Amazon is having a hard time keeping the Debut Carbon in stock, so we added buy links from Crutchfield and Music Direct.

Compared to our previous pick, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, the Audio Technica offers most of the performance for a fraction of the price at ~$230. It is easy to setup, does not require a phono preamp, and can be used to transfer your LPs to a PC. If you want the absolute best audio quality, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon sounds better, but for most people the higher cost is not worth it.

Compared to our previous pick, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, the Audio Technica offers most of the performance for a fraction of the price.

Some of you may be wondering why you’d want a turntable since you can get most music in more convenient digital formats. As it turns out, there’s some actual concrete reasons to do so beyond mere nostalgia and aesthetics and you can read all about them later on in this piece. (Or click here to skip ahead.)

It’s also worth noting that there will be a fair amount of jargon in the following guide. So if you’re unfamiliar with the parts of a turntable and/or the terminology involved in evaluating one, we recommend clicking here to skip ahead to the terminology section.

Why you should trust me

I’ve been reviewing audio gear for over half a decade and listening to turntables since the late 1990s. I also ground my decisions on turntables in objective measurements using $30,000+ instruments (not just subjective listening) to see how well they actually perform.

How we picked

When it came time to talk to experts about turntables, they all pointed towards the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon in 2013. Since then there have been very few turntables introduced at reasonable price points, and even fewer of those have even been reviewed at this point. So talking to the experts would not provide any extra insights beyond what was provided before. The major new release for turntables has been the U-Turn Orbit models. A successful Kickstarter campaign produced $179 and $299 turntables that claim to offer good performance for the buck by being sold direct.

I brought in the U-Turn Orbit Basic and Orbit Plus turntables and the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB turntables to listen compared to the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon that I already own myself. To make sure the phono stage is not a limiting factor in the comparison, I used the $2,350 Parasound Halo JC3 for all of the turntables. I then listened to all of the models in my acoustically treated home theater room that measures 12’ x 25’ x 7½’. For direct comparison, an RCA switcher along with identical copies of albums on each turntable are utilized. Due to the different output levels of each included cartridge, making the test setup totally blind is impossible.

The Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB is the best because it sounds great, includes a phono preamp, is very flexible and speed accurate, and it lets you digitize your LP collection if you desire. The AT-LP120-USB is a great entry-point for the vinyl enthusiast and shines even when matched against a table costing twice as much.

The sound quality of the AT-LP120-USB with the included cartridge and integrated preamp is remarkably good. With high-quality source material, it has the ability to present a quiet background with very good channel separation and vocal clarity. It can stumble a bit on very busy musical sections on the inner grooves of records, but many tables do this. The more records I play on the Audio Technica, the more I find myself appreciating it.

Most modern receivers lack a phono preamp (which is necessary to hook a turntable into a sound system) and even fewer people own an external one, so it’s convenient that the AT-LP120-USB has one built in. That means that straight out of the box, the Audio Technica can plug directly into a soundbar or external powered speakers that have an analog input. This saves you $50+ and reduces the complexity of your system. However, if you already own a phono preamp, it is likely higher quality than the one included inside the AT-LP120-USB; you should likely use it (a switch on the back lets you enable or disable the integrated phono preamp). That being said, even using the LP120 with its internal preamp against the U-Turn using the $2,350 JC3, the LP120 won out.

…straight out of the box, the Audio Technica can plug directly into a soundbar or external powered speakers that have an analog input.

Compared to other entry-level turntables, the Audio Technica is very flexible. The tonearm includes adjustments for vertical tracking angle, anti-skating, and a very adjustable counter-weight system. It has push-button access to 33, 45, and 78 RPM speeds due to its Direct Drive mechanism so you don’t need to adjust a band over a pulley when you change records. Many other entry-level turntables are more limited on the cartridges they will support due to the tonearm design than the Audio Technica is. It also has a removable headshell that makes swapping between cartridges quick and easy.

Speed accuracy is very important in a turntable and one of the things that is easiest to hear. The U-Turn Orbit tables would often slow down in sections. The Audio Technica is very accurate by comparison and has an integrated strobe feature with adjustments to make it even easier to dial in.

33 RPM speed accuracy

Including a USB output makes it easy to digitize your LP collection. Most new LPs include download cards so you can have an mp3 or FLAC version of your music to take with you, but used LPs lack this. By including the USB output you can digitize your collection to take with you, and you get the vinyl mix of the album that many people prefer.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Unlike the U-Turn tables, you need to attach the counterweight and balance the tone-arm for the AT-LP120-USB. You can do this for $30 with the Shure SFG-2 Stylus Tracking Gauge. You should do this with any turntable in case something was adjusted during shipping and you need a scale if you ever want to adjust the cartridge as well. It would be nice if you didn’t need to do this, but you really should.

The captive RCA cable outputs are also an annoyance. Using RCA outputs with an included cable would let you choose the length of cable that you want. The captive cable is fairly short and I ran into issues where it was too short for a couple of my tests. You can get an extension cable for it for cheap, but a user-replaceable cable is always preferred.

Compared to our step-up option below, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, the Audio Technica is noisier with a silent background. It also didn’t suppress pops and clicks as well as the Pro-Ject does when playing dirty or damaged records. Of course, I’d recommend anyone buy a record cleaner like the Spin Clean to keep their records in better shape, as it also keeps your stylus in better shape and preserves your records. If you’re using clean records, click suppression will be a smaller issue.

Long-term test notes

The turntable has had no issues thus far, and I’ve been using it for listening to everything since we picked it six months ago.

If our pick is sold out, a step up

The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon sounds better than the Audio Technica and supports higher-end cartridges, but we don’t think it’s worth double the price.

Our prior pick, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, is still a wonderful table that sounds better than the Audio Technica, and a great option if the Audio Technica turntable is sold out.

The speed accuracy on it is even better than on the AT-LP120-USB, but both are very good in this department. The Pro-Ject has better bass definition and greater dynamic range than the Audio Technica with its higher-end tonearm and cartridge. However, it lacks the included phono stage, has to do speed changes with a belt, and is more finicky to use than the AT-LP120-USB.

If you want a better sounding table than the Audio Technica…the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon is the pick.

If you want a better sounding table than the Audio Technica that can support higher-end cartridges and be upgraded longer, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon is the pick. The experts also agree on how well it performs. Michael Fremer from Analog Planet and Stereophile reviewed the Debut Carbon and concludes “Most highly recommended. I don’t know what else comes close for $399, especially now that Pro-Ject includes the $99 Ortofon 2M red.” At Sound & Vision, Brent Butterworth took the Carbon for a spin and says “Its sound isn’t perfect — rock fans might want more oomph in the bass — but if I were buying a budget table tomorrow, this is the one.”

One problem with researching turntables is that almost all the reviews are subjective, lacking any objective measurements to directly compare products. One exception is HifiChoice, a UK Magazine that puts them all through a set of benchmarks. When they tested the Debut Carbon (free registration required) it passed every test it was subjected to. It was pitch accurate, with a quiet background and a tonearm that is well-designed and free of any audible issues. The testers at Audio.de find that the improvements offered for the Pro-Ject, including an acrylic platter, lead to a measurable increase speed stability and lower background noise when they test using an Audio Precision test instrument.

After almost two years in my system, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon is still going strong. The speed accuracy is top notch and the included belt drive system has not been stretched out or damaged in that time. It has now been moved to our step-up model as the AT-LP120-USB is a better value that sounds almost as good. The anti-skate weight on the Pro-Ject is finicky and has fallen off a couple times, but aside from that it has worked perfectly

Competition

The U-Turn Orbit turntables are the main competition now at this lower price point. The Orbit Basic sells for $179, while the upgraded Plus with an acrylic platter and Grado Black cartridge sells for $299. To their benefit, both turntables had the tracking force set correctly out of the box when I measured and are easy to setup. Unfortunately, both suffer from is a tendency to slow down a bit during certain musical passages. Speed shifts under 1% are often inaudible to people, but the shifts from the U-Turn tables are easy to hear. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was just me, so I called in Wirecutter associate editor Michael Zhao and his brother to make sure I wasn’t just hearing things. Both of them immediately noticed the speed shifts as well—long, sustained notes develop an unpleasant warbling.

…the [U-turn] tables I measured are more than 2 times worse than their specs and possibly much more…

Thus it should come as no surprise that the speed accuracy of both models fall well short of the Audio Technica and the Pro-Ject numbers, which matches up to what we hear in listening sessions. I cannot measure the flutter of the turntables, but I can measure the Wow1 using PlatterSpeed for iOS and the 3150 Hz test tone on the Ultimate Analogue Test LP. The U-Turn Orbit Plus measures in at 0.27% using the AES preferred 2-sigma method. The spec from U-Turn is 0.125% or less for Wow & Flutter. Since the best Flutter can be is 0%, the tables I measured are more than 2 times worse than their specs and possibly much more. Since I measured four tables from U-Turn, I can’t chalk it up to a single bad sample.

Doing a direct A-B comparison of them to the Audio Technica, the sound is very close but the speed shifts make it easy to choose the AT-LP120-USB. And compared to the Pro-Ject, the U-Turn tables are a clear step down in clarity and bass response. The tonearm is also limited in what cartridges it can support due to a smaller range of counterweight adjustments. The extra $50 for the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB over the Orbit Basic is clearly worth it.

I spent over a dozen hours researching every other turntable under $500 out there that I could find. I talked to multiple experts from leading audio publications and read every single review I could. I tracked down bench tests from the few sites that do objective testing, and spent a lot of time using Google Translate to get reviews from Germany and other countries where turntables remain even more popular than in the USA. After all of that research and conversation, I found a lot of competitors, but nothing that could unseat either of our choices.

There are two categories of competitors: audiophile turntables that are more like the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, and cheaper “Plug-and-play” models that are more like the Audio Technica LP120, which offer built-in phono stages and USB options. The closest competitor in the audiophile range is the Rega RP1 turntable for $450. It is also simple to set up, but it’s noisier and less flexible than the Debut Carbon is. The sound of the RP1 is very good, though the time since it was initially released gave Pro-ject time to catch up.

Many of the negatives with the RP1 go back to the included cartridge. Reviewers find that it “limits transparency” and “can’t suppress pops and clicks as well.” Additionally it passes all of the same core tests at HifiChoice that the Pro-Ject does, it fails the Wow and Flutter test, which the Carbon passes. It also has more rumble noise present in testing at Audio.de than the Carbon, especially at 200 Hz. In the end these issues put it behind the Carbon, and it doesn’t have as clear an upgrade path either.

The Music Hall MMF-2.2 bears a lot of similarity to the step up Pro-ject Carbon. In fact, they come from the same factory. But the MMF-2.2 lists for $450 despite coming with what most feel is an inferior tonearm and cartridge. Where the Pro-Ject has a Carbon Fiber arm, the MMF makes do with a metal alloy, though it does have VTA adjustment. At The Absolute Sound, Paul Sedydor listened to the MMF-2.2, which he found to “homogenize textures and colors” in recordings; he said that with the included Tracker cartridge the “low end plumbs no depths.” Michael Trei at Sound & Vision compared the MMF-2.2 to the RP1’s predecessor and concluded “It had a slightly laid-back quality that was easy to listen to, though its sound at times seemed a touch less dynamic and exciting.”

A go-to forever had been the Technics SL-1200 turntable, but now that it’s off the market, the price has risen and it costs from $450 for a used model to over $1,000 for a new one. It still has a large cult following and is the perennial choice of DJs everywhere. However it also came in a clear third place to the Rega P1 and Music Hall MMF-2.2 in the Sound & Vision review, surprising the author, who owns a Technics himself. If you plan to DJ, the SL-1200 is worth looking into, but setting up a used turntable can be a difficult job.

Pro-Ject also makes the RM-series, which is another line of tables apart from the Debut. This includes the $500 RM-1.3, which reviewers loved when it was released back in 2010. But nowadays it lacks the value that Carbon provides, and it is more finicky in use. At TechRadar, Dominic Todd gives it a 5-star review, and that “Given its price, the Genie 3 sounds exceptionally good.” Reviews of turntables at TechRadar seem to be a bit subject to rating inflation, so the review from Brent Butterworth is a good secondary point. In the end he felt that “Perhaps most important, I now feel like I own a real turntable instead of just a record player.” However, he now prefers the newer Carbon. Although the RM-1.3 might offer some sonic advantages, the Carbon has a better arm, and the RM-1.3 belt is prone to slipping off.

Even cheaper units like the Audio-Technica AT-LP60 will play back your vinyl, but with no adjustments at all, and with a fixed tonearm weight, they are likely to be tracking too heavily, causing damage to records in order to suppress surface noise. That heavy tracking will damage the stylus, possibly damage your records, and you’ll have no way to know if it’s doing it or not, since you can’t adjust the weight.

What to look forward to

The Pro-Ject Elemental is a $199 turntable that looks to be as dead simple as the U-Turn Orbit to setup. It uses a similar belt drive system and eschews the adjustability of the Audio Technica LP120. It is out in the UK now and WhatHiFi gives it a good review, but it isn’t available in the United States yet. If it can avoid the speed issues of the U-Turn tables it might be able to give the Audio Technica a run for its money once we can listen.

Why buy a turntable?

Isn’t the technology used in turntables over a century old now? Why in the world would I go out and buy one when I can buy a CD player, or an iPod, or some other musical playback technology that was invented during my lifetime? I’m going to put aside the aesthetic reasons of having larger artwork or the feeling of putting on a record and holding something tangible for a moment, and give you actual performance reasons.

This Loudness War has removed one of the benefits of CDs and other digital recordings over vinyl, which is larger dynamic range.

Many modern recordings sound awful. For years, engineers have been pushing albums to be louder and louder so they have more impact over the radio or in earbuds, which is always to the detriment of listening on a home stereo. This Loudness War has removed one of the benefits of CDs and other digital recordings over vinyl, which is larger dynamic range. As recordings that are this loud will actually cause the turntable needle to jump out of the groove, you sometimes get two sets of master files usually: a digital one, and a vinyl one.

To give you an example of this, here is a comparison of the vinyl version and the CD version of the recent Daft Punk release, Random Access Memories. The database linked uses software to measure the dynamic range in recordings and provides a number that is a general guide to how much range there is. As you can see the CD version has a rating of 8/20 points, while the vinyl version comes in at a much more dynamic 13/20. Even the higher resolution, HD Tracks download is dynamically compressed compared to vinyl. So while vinyl technically has a lower maximum dynamic range than CD or digital downloads, because of how music is mastered now, vinyl usually winds up with the more dynamic mix. Instead of everything just being loud, you have actual dynamics, like real music does.

Not every album needs a second master, as it really comes down to how compressed the digital master is. The recent PJ Harvey album, Let England Shake, has identical dynamic range values because the CD master was suitable for the vinyl copy. In Rainbows from Radiohead, by contrast, has a DR rating of 5 for the CD and 10 for the vinyl, as the 5 is far too hot for a vinyl master. Getting a different master really depends on what you listen to, so checking the Dynamic Range Database for your favorite artists may give you a good idea.

There is also a huge amount of material available on vinyl that has never been converted to digital. If all you want is music from the past two decades, you’ll find it on CD or for download. If you want to go back to the 1970’s and earlier, you’ll find countless albums in every genre that never made the transition to digital. Either the company that owns the rights didn’t think it was profitable to do so, or the master tapes were lost, or the artist was just forgotten about. There is a massive amount of music out there to go pick up and listen to that you can’t find any other way than on vinyl.

One of the best things about all of that old vinyl is that it’s often cheap as well.

One of the best things about all of that old vinyl is that it’s often cheap as well. Did you want to pick up a copy of Thriller after Michael Jackson passed away? That is $7 on CD at Amazon, or $10 for an mp3 download from them. Since Thriller sold millions upon millions of copies in the 1980’s, tons of those were on vinyl, and many of those people gave up their turntables by now. You can go down to a used record store and almost easily find a copy of Thriller for $2-3. The same goes for any other music you want to buy. You can pick up the entire catalog of artists that you like for pennies on the dollar lots of the time if you go with used vinyl. Getting the most out of it might take some arm work as we will discuss later, but you can build a huge music collection for very little this way.

Terminology

Before we get into what makes a good turntable, there’s some jargon that you should be familiar with in regards to turntables themselves and how to use them.

1. Tonearm – The tonearm holds the cartridge as it moves across the record. Typically they are straight, but some are S-shaped. The ideal tonearm has no mass, is perfectly rigid, and has a bearing with no friction. Since that isn’t possible, you really want a light but very-stiff-and-rigid tonearm. If it is cheap and resonates, that sound will make it into the music. Carbon fiber and other composites are light and stiff, while cheaper metals like aluminum are light, but have much more resonance.

2. Cartridge – The cartridge and its stylus are what physically read the record. The stylus moves up and down, left and right, producing a waveform for both stereo channels. There are many types of cartridges, but almost all entry-level tables will use Moving Magnet (MM) designs.

3. Platter – What the record sits on before being rotated by either a direct-drive or belt-drive system. The platter should be as dense as possible to reduce rumble and other mechanical noises that will otherwise make it into the music.

4. Phono stage – The signal from a turntable is far less powerful than from a CD player or other digital source. It also has a process called the RIAA curve applied to it due to the physics of a turntable. A phono stage will add gain to the signal and apply the RIAA curve to equalize it. Some receivers and integrated amps have these (they will always be labeled as Phono, and usually have a ground-screw for the turntable cable), but if you don’t, you’ll need to buy an external one.

5. Tracking force – Cartridges have an ideal amount of force they will place on a record, specified in grams. Apply too little and the cartridge and arm will bounce around, skipping constantly. Apply too much, and you’ll cause excessive wear of the stylus and the record itself. This is adjusted at the end of the tonearm opposite the cartridge.

6. Azimuth adjustment – The stylus on the cartridge should be directly perpendicular to the record itself. The azimuth adjustment lets you rotate the tonearm slightly in each direction to make sure it is correct.

7. Vertical tracking angle – The body of the cartridge and tip of the stylus should be directly parallel to the record surface while playing. Since records are different thicknesses and cartridges slightly different sizes, many tonearms offer a way to adjust this.

8. Drive method — The platter is either belt-drive or direct drive. When belt driven, an elastic belt connects the motor to the platter, which in turn allows a good deal of isolation from motor noise, and the elastic band can help reduce Wow and Flutter1, which are speed fluctuations. On higher-end tables, you even see the motor become totally isolated from the chassis to remove any chance of rumble coming across. Direct-drive turntables have the motor directly connected to the platter. This will pass along far more motor noise, though you can try to reduce that with different platter substances. The benefits to them are that they are much faster to spin up, and they provide far more torque, which is why you’ll find them in DJ turntables.

Care and maintenance

Setting up your turntable correctly is key to getting the best performance out of it.

Setting up your turntable correctly is key to getting the best performance out of it. There are many online guides available, including a nice step-by-step one put together by Brent Butterworth for Sound & Vision. There are also lots of video guides on YouTube, some of which are for specific models that you might buy. If you want a video to help, Michael Fremer has a DVD that goes into depth on setting your turntable up for best performance, and then you’ll have it around for when you need to make a future adjustment or upgrade to your unit.

You’ll also need to buy a stylus force gauge to get the tracking on your table correct. Too low and you’ll have lots of skipping; too high and you risk damaging the stylus and your records. The $30 manual one from Shure is cheap, effective, and has been around forever. I’ve used it to set up numerous tables without an issue. Most turntables ship with the cartridge installed and aligned, and include a tool to align it if it is off. If you choose to replace the cartridge you’ll need to realign it again. This can be done with a tool like the Mobile Fidelity Geo-disc, or a free protractor you can download and print yourself.

All the experts I talked to were unanimous: when buying your table, buy a Spin-Clean. For $80, there’s no better way to clean vinyl. No matter what you spend on a turntable, it only sounds as good as the record does.

Keeping your records in good shape is important as well. For $80 the Spin Clean is the best cheap way to keep them in ideal condition. It requires a bit more manual labor than a vacuum unit does, but saves you hundreds of dollars over one of those units. You can also get more out of either of the turntables here by replacing the included cartridge. The $75 Shure M97xE is an affordable cartridge that is very neutral and works well with the lighter tonearms of these turntables. It’s good enough that VPI Industries has used it on their $30,000 direct drive turntable for daily use.

Wrapping it up

The Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB is the best turntable for casual listening due to its sound quality, built-in phono preamp, and flexibility. People after even better sound quality can step up to the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, but for most people, the Audio Technica will satisfy any vinyl playback needs.

Footnotes:

1. Wow is frequency modulation of the signal in the range of approximately 0.5 Hz to 6 Hz resulting in distortion which may be perceived as a fluctuation of pitch of a tone or program. Flutter is frequency modulation of the signal in the range of approximately 6 Hz to 100 Hz resulting in distortion which may be perceived as a roughening of the sound quality of a tone or program. Jump back.

Sources

”With its stock Ortofon 2M Red cartridge, Pro-Ject’s Debut Carbon gave me a clean, vibrant sound quality that reminded me quite a bit of the $1,999 Rega RP6/Exact cartridge combo I recently reviewed. That the Debut Carbon can approach the RP6’s performance at 20 percent of its price is remarkable, to say the least. Its sound isn’t perfect — rock fans might want more oomph in the bass — but if I were buying a budget table tomorrow, this is the one.”

"Mostly, first timers simply won't know what they are missing and while the backdrop is reasonably quiet they won't get the jet black backdrops more expensive 'tables produce, but they will be quite aware of what they're getting: that great analog experience no amount of digital money can buy! Most highly recommended. I don't know what else comes close for $399, especially now that Pro-Ject includes the $99 Ortofon 2M red."

“The Debut delivers an impressively clean and insightful sound, one that digs deep while keeping a firm hold of the overall musical structure. It’s not just clinical reproduction though – we’re taken with the Pro-ject’s expressive nature, too.
Move on to the likes of Holst’s Planet Suite and the Debut Carbon continues to impress with high detail levels, relatively wide dynamics and a pleasing subtlety. Put it all together and you have a product that sounds at home on all types of music and that, for the money, is generally well built.”

“Compared to the budget table I started with a few years ago, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon offers better bass and soundstaging, with a wide variety of upgrades available that allow the performance to really grow. It also looks far cooler to all my guests with the bright red finish of my review unit really standing out in my rack. The Carbon is an exceptional performer for the price, and is highly recommended for those that want to add a turntable into their system.”

“Rega's music-first approach takes a bit of grasping and those coming to vinyl for the first time might find the lack of serious bass and refined highs a little surprising. But give it more time and its tune-playing skills win through.
The entry-level cartridge does a decent enough job, but the quality of arm warrants an upgrade in this area and this will give the sound better dynamics and make it less fussy about vinyl – old pressings can show their age as it currently stands.“

Also, FYI, this grammatically mangled sentence is being used as a callout:

“The cost savings in cheap turntables show up in many places it are not initially apparent…”

How did “it are” get past an editor??

Michael Zhao

Thanks for pointing out the typo.

As for the UTurn, we don’t address Kickstarters until they become actual products. Based on the fact that it advertises twice the wow and flutter of our pick, and it has an aluminum tone-arm, I would wager that this is not in direct competition with our main pick.

It could however, be a good candidate to top our step down model once it actually becomes available for purchase.

http://www.twitter.com/chaddierickx chad dierickx

This looks like it’s in production now. Any chance of a follow-up piece on this?

Bill

I second the idea of looking at the Orbit, it just made it onto Uncrate…

Alexander Holt

I’ve been doing tons of research on this and it always comes down to whether to get the Debut or the Rega P-1. Those seem to be the standouts. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the P1

Anonymous

The P1 has been replaced by the RP1 for a few years now. The experts broke in favor of the Carbon over the RP1, though people didn’t have much bad to say about the RP1. Overall it was felt that the cartridge wasn’t quite as good, and that the arm might not be up to the level of the one on the Carbon. There is also no easy speed control upgrade available. Rega turntables are very easy to setup, and need very little adjustment because of the 3-point mounting system it uses for their cartridges, but that same system can also make it a bit harder to upgrade down the road than the Debut Carbon.

That the RP1 also lists for $50 more than the Debut Carbon didn’t help it as well. It isn’t a bad table, it’s just not as good a table or value as the Carbon.

Alexander Holt

Awesome. Thanks!

Mike

I actually liked the Music Hall mmf2.2 more than the RP1. It’s a better built table, more accurate (slightly) and quiter. Actually, because it’s manufactured in the Pro-Ject factory, there are few differences between the actual PJ and MH tables. You can also upgrade the platter with the Pro-Ject Acryll-it platter which is a huge upgrade. The biggest differences that I see between the MH and the PJ are the tone arm and the standard cartridge. But, for my money, I’d rather go with the MH2.2 than the RP1. And, as a side note, the PJ Carbon, until recently, was more expensive than the other two. With the new $400 price tag, it’s a steal.

Anonymous

Thanks for putting this together. I too have been wanting the Wirecutter to handle this, and I’m very pleased.

Richard

You can buy the rp1 without a cartridge and fit your own choice, eg Ortofon Red, which the Project looks to be using.

Anonymous

I searched for the RP1 without a cartridge, but the common sources didn’t have it available, but it would likely shave around $50 off the price. Adding the 2M Red then takes you up to $500 for the RP1. That’s 25% more than the Carbon, and enough to almost buy the Speed Box with the Carbon as well.

Richard

Thats sounds about right. Seems like the RP1 is due for replacement.

I think at the $400-500 price point, save your money, step up to the $800-1000 range and you ‘ll get a lot more turn table.

john

this article was awesome. thanks for the information. I’ve been subscribed to feedbands.com now and they send me a first pressing of a newly pressed, newly released rock band every month. it’s freaking awesome

Rob Moshi

I’ve heard of feedbands but I didn’t realize that they actually press vinyl records for undiscovered bands. that’s a useful service! signing up now..

tom

yeah feedbands ROCKS… best thing to happent to vinyl since the turntable. SAVE ROCK AND ROLL

are you serious? how can a belt drive turntable be the best! it looks very stylish but prefer technics sl1200 mk5 gold edition. It’s the best imo.

https://plus.google.com/111125077692640669155?rel=author Michael Zhao

There are few reasons to go direct drive if you’re not a DJ. If you look at the really expensive audiophile models, they’re all belt driven.

Peter

I know it’s an extra $200, but did y’all try out the RP1 with the Performance Pack upgrade? I’ve been weighing it against the Pro-Ject for a while now. Very curious!

Andrew Edmonds

Any recommendations for a good pre-amp?

Anonymous

Phono preamp, or general preamp?

Oscar

I’d love a recommendation for a decent phono preamp!

Anonymous

I’ll look into doing a round-up of affordable phono stages. They’re pretty well ignored overall by the major magazines, which skew towards more expensive gear, and too esoteric for more mainstream publications. I know other reviewers that really like the affordable NAD and Parasound ones, though I haven’t used those myself.

Perhaps I’ll see if I can try to get some of those in hand to offer a personal opinion, but the two I mentioned do come well regarded by people I trust.

tknx

Art Audio seems to get raves – i would love to see the roundup start at the very inexpensive

Anonymous

Well an Art Audio 1 starts at $2,400 so it had better get raves (full disclosure, I have a Parasound Halo JC 3 for my phono preamp). Products like the Art Audio 1 usually have no issue getting reviews and coverage, but appeal to a small subset of people. I imagine I’d look at units that would better match up with the Debut Carbon than any of those.

Mike

I have tested both the Music Fidelity V-LPS and the Bellari in my system. Both were attached to my Pro-Ject Carbon. Both are well matched for quality with this level of table. The Music Fidelity is cleaner and a little more clinical with fantastic tonal separation for a pre of this cost. The Bellari is a beautiful piece of equipment. It’s a tube pre, which gives it a little bit of a different sound. While not as clinical as the Music Fidelity, the sound is a fuller and warmer with more low-end depth. I couldn’t tell you which is “better” per-se. They are both quite awesome, but different. I can’t speak to the others suggested above, but these seem to be two favorites at this price level.

TT novice

I have had a blue Debut Carbon since March and it is clearly the best sounding component source I have in my set-up. Picking audio gear sight unseen (or unheard) can be daunting but the reviewing illuminati is not blowing smoke with Pro-ject. It’s quality stuff.

gwold

I picked up the Carbon and followed your link to the Pro-ject phono preamp on Amazon. I suspect it’s the wrong device, though–would you please confirm?

The link takes me to the Sumiko Pro-Ject USB Box (Silver), which is a simple DAC for converting analog input to digital output via USB only. There’s no step-up analog output for feeding a receiver.

Yes, that’s correct and I apparently had a bad link in my editing there. I will work to correct that and am sorry for the confusion.

Daniel

I think this article really lacks out on addressing the used market. I had researched a lot of new turntables and went into a needle store thinking interested in looking at a Rega. Talking to the owner made me quickly embarassed at asking for one–he pretty much scoffed at the Project, Music Hall, and Rega offerings, commenting that you get a lot more for your money with a used and refurbished Dual, Thorens, or Kenwood.
I also think you should mention the lack of auto return on a record–for me (and presumably many others), it is pretty much a deal breaker that the newer offerings mostly don’t have an auto-return, meaning you have to either be ready to jump up as soon as the side ends and pull the needle off yourself, or let that nice needle you upgraded to bang around the end grooves indefinitely. I like my Hi-Fi, but I also value being able to let a turntable just play out.

Anonymous

If you really want auto-return on a turntable, you can look into the Q Up:

It should work with most models, including the Carbon recommended here, but will take a little bit of modification.

I do touch on used tables a bit, but that is delving into a whole different level of expertise that might be required. With the Carbon you can take it out of the box and have it running 30 minutes later. With a used table, you might need to budget a weekend, as well as possibly invest in some extra equipment, to get it properly setup.

symbolcraft

Fantastic article. Thanks for your work! Here’s a very specific question: how does the Denon DP-300F stack up between the AT you recommend here and the Carbon?

Thanos

Great article thnx! I’d love to see the Stanton ST-150 being compared with the audiophile choices included here (just as the Technics SL-1200), it’s the turntable that has challenged the Technics classic and it has replaced it as the no1 choice for DJs out there.

Thebuttonfreak

Notice that only the 1200 has it’s wow and flutter specs listed. That’s because they blow the others out of the water. I read the review on sound and vision. The guy doesn’t make sense. He says the 1200 isn’t the turntable that holds the pitch the best even though the wow and flutter specs are better, because those tests are done with a static tone instead of a “dynamic” source. You but a signal in and you look at it on the other side, the pitch variation is the pitch variation. It’s about platter speed not anything else. These reviews are pseudo science at best and the reason turntable were so much better in the past is because their quality was based on science, meaning measurements and mathematics. Spend your 500 bucks on a used deck from the golden age. These rega’s are a joke. I’ve listened to them, isolation sucks, if you have hard wood floors just walking past them will make the tonearm jump. It’s all hype, don’t wast your money, get a used deck in good shape from the 70’s or 80’s if you don’t want a 1200.

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

Late to comment here, but the Pro-ject Debut Carbon also has it’s Wow and Flutter listed as well, as does the MMF-2.2. I didn’t check every single one, but only the RP1 didn’t of those that I did a cursory Google search on.

ballpein

I’ve had a few classic decks, most quite good, including a Dual and two Technics tables… but my Rega RP1 slays them all for isolation. My turntable is set up on a rickety heirloom sideboard, hardwood floors with floorstanding speakers right beside, and isolation is dandy. You seem to have a bit of an axe to grind, maybe the rega you tried was faulty?

Goldmund

Obviously, you don’t know much about turntables. Let’s leave it at that…

Thebuttonfreak

Ya, just been tearing them apart and rebuilding them for years. What would I know. The current state of turntable design has devolved into pseudo-science.

Eric Barry

The friction of the stylus in the groove pushes against the drive system. A continuous tone = continuous frictional force. A heavily modulated music groove = variable frictional force.

The servo feedback in a direct drive turntable ensures the average speed will be correct, but it tells little about how the speed will be affected by the modulation of the grooves.

A platter with a lot of inertia will counteract this force.

Ray

Great write up! I have about 2000 albums of house, disco and club music. I sold my 1210 MK2 about 3 years ago but now I’m wanting to play my vinyl again. I was leaning toward the Pro Ject xpression iii, is the carbon a better bang for the buck? Thank you for your opinion sir! P.S. Thinking of matching with my 5.1 NHT speakers in black lacquer.

Jesse

Seems to be currently unavailable on Amazon. Has it been discontinued? Being updated?

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

It’s not discontinued, it’s just in demand and supply is low. We talked to the company to make sure and it’s just a supply and demand issue that is still ongoing right now.

JoRecord

I am looking for a record player because I have inherited a giant stack of records from my parents and grandparents (and some from my teenage years that I had forgotten about!) It includes those elusive 78’s though. Is there anything new out there that will play all three formats or am I going to have to go vintage on the player too?

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

For 78’s the Audio Technica decks can usually do it, and after that it’s either really, really cheap ones or more expensive units like the Clearaudio Concept. The Concept is a fantastic player (I had it around for a couple months for review and wish I kept it) but it’s also $1,400 and a serious investment.

The stylus force gauge I’ve used for 44 years now came with my 1969 AR turntable. It is a simple plastic balance that I find foolproof to use. I have the shure gauge as well and much prefer the AR.

http://bestrecordplayer.net/ USB turntable

He, it is quite easy to say that some player is the best turntable. But that is before you have seen the new office desk turntables. You only us an app on your Iphone icm with an small platter that only spins the vinyl. The phone(!) will read the grooves and produce the sound. How cool is that!

Thanos

Great article indeed! What I’m missing though is a comparison with the new star of turntables for DJs which is the Stanton ST-150 (and not the classic Technics that everyone mention).

Ruffin

Now show me a good one with an automatic record changer, and I’m in.

http://best-turntables-reviews.com Kevin Iraola

Finally an in-depth article covering all aspect needed for buying a turntable!

Nikita Tissera

I can’t thank you enough for putting this comparison out so clearly and concisely. I’m a non-audiophile with a very limited budget who just happens to like the vinyl sound. This comparison saved me much money, hassle and regret. Cheers from Sri Lanka.

Joe

I just got my Pro-Ject turntable. It may be almost 2x the price of the Audio Technica but it’s at least 5x prettier.

Chris Magoulis

Have to admit I’m a little disappointed the U-Turn didn’t fare better in this comparison. I ordered a table in January and should be receiving it next week, but at least I can say with confidence that it LOOKS way better than the Audio Technica.

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

U-Turn has said they believe there is something wrong with the units I tested. I tested 4 of them and they all had the same performance issue, so hopefully they can figure out what the issue is for everyone that does order one.

SLUSHIE

I own 2 SL-1200 MKIIs, I had no idea they were worth roughly double what i paid for them, cool.

fencelizard

Shout out for the audio-technica lp60, despite the slam on cheap tables in this article. $250 is more than many people want to spend on a turntable, especially if you’re just looking to listen to some old vinyl around your house. The lp60 sounds great and costs like $80 on amazon (plus, it’s on prime, so impulse buy away). If you suspect you’ll never adjust your tonearm anyways, it’s the way to go.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

We really don’t ‘slam’ the LP60, but if you value your vinyl, why take the risk of ruining it?

Powersv2

Great review. I’ve had one for about a year now.

evan

Hi, I am wondering how 180 gram records sounds on this turntable?

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

The 180g records I listened to sounded great. The better the pressing, the better it sounds.

partoneproductions

I am a little worried about my orbit that is coming in a month or so. It is my first table and after this review I am considering canceling my order. Thanks for looking in to this.

lbdsgn

Are all of these turntables discussed moving-magnet cartridges? I have an old moving-coil turntable from the 80s and learned the hard way that all the affordable preamps I see are only for MM, not MC cartridges. (lower output on MC, needs different signal handling). Thanks!

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

Yes, they’re MM. From our expert:

“MC are more expensive and do need more expensive and efficient pre-amps to operate”

Hope this helps!

lbdsgn

Thank you!

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

You’re most welcome!

Greg Mitchell

simply the best, most explanatory writing on a good entry level turntable that I’ve read (and I’ve read a ton of them). Of course(that is, I’m stepping past your favorite), I’m going to go with the Pro-Ject rather than the A-T — that’s been my plan after a ton of reading (including your prior rec of the Pro-Ject). And, just reading your rec today about the Yamaha receiver (whic9h apparently has been discontinued), I just did a search on a vendor just a short walk away that they have one for (!) $199. And again, thanks — I read your piece on the Pioneer bookshelf speakers and through the link went onto read about the 5.1 Pioneeer Andrew Jones system (I’ll probably just go in separates for that and start with the two main tower speakers). So that’ll leave only the phono stager (if you have any favorites similar in budget feel for what they are, please let me know) and from everything I’ve read, that sounds like a pretty terrific system value wise, sound wise, and future additions-wise.

I love The Wirecutter site, completely. There’s really no comparison with anything else (including David Pogue or the often headscratching cnet) (and you’re also very kind to create the links that take the reader to the other reviews and commentary). Big props to you, and thanks.

https://twitter.com/mhzhao Michael Zhao

Thank you for the kind words!

Audiolad

When I was a young man I had the technics turntable (original model). I didn’t keep it very long for a multitude of reasons. However, I will say it and the AT turntable are quite capable of producing excellent sound with an equally excellent cartridge (your choice). It has VTA adjustments most entry level audiophile turntables don’t have. However, no one should use the cheap phono preamp built in. Any gains with a fine cartridge is lost there. A good turntable deserves a good preamp and there is a gazillion companies manufacturing them. My preference on my Denon DP300F (also low priced) is the Cambridge Audio AZUR 551P ($139). The Rolls has an excellent one for $89 in 2014. An Art DJ has more controls than any other and it has a volume (gain) control to match the output needed for most amps. What I’m saying is I partially agree, that quality sound doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

Ugh_so complicated

Wow, that was the best discussion on turntables I’ve read. Its clear you know your stuff. I’m wondering if you have a recommendation for external phono preamps for those of use with turntables that are interested in hooking it up to more modern receivers. Thanks!

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

That is a piece that I need to work on. I haven’t used any affordable preamps recently (I use a Parasound Halo JC3, just to ensure that the preamp isn’t a limiting factor) so anything I can suggest would just be repeating another review. People I’ve talked to have liked the Parasound Z Phono and the affordable NAD ones but that’s all I can offer.

john

If sound quality is the sole criterion, which is better: (a) a 25-year-old Beogram 1602 turntable that works fine or (b) the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB?

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

I’ve never heard the Beogram so I can’t comment on that. If I was buying one of the two, I’d get the Audio Technica because of the issues with cartridges on the Beogram. You have to replace the whole cartridge (not just the stylus) and the only source anymore is from Soundsmith, which means $250 and up.

Mike Balhorn

Hi Chris,
Pro-Ject updated their site and the TT is now called the “Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)” because of it’s new DC motor.
• New DC power supply with ultra precision frequency DC-driven AC generator (like Speed Box) for ultimate speed stability.
• New TPE motor suspension

Any insight on the new upgrades and when it will be available? Great review by the way.

Nick Summers

Hi there,
Have you come across the Stanton T92? I’m on the fence over the ATLP120 and the Stanton. Logic says the 120 – but my ears (admittedly, through Youtube) tell me the Stanton:
Grateful for any advice on this!
Nick
P.S. The guy in the link is using an unspecified Shure cartridge too, though I have no idea which one …

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

Thanks for the input. Forwarding along to our researchers!

Álvaro Martín Gómez Acevedo

I prefer direct drive turntables over belt drives just because I don’t trust belts’ speed accuracy, while the quartz-locked pitch control of a turntable like the AT-LP120-USB gives me true peace of mind in that regard (I’m extremely picky about a turntable spinning at the correct speed). But I don’t have the Audio-Technica but the Numark TTXUSB, which is a TANK (Audio-Technica as a turntable with similar build quality: The AT-LP1240-USB). The weak point of these turntables is the tonearm, which is designed with DJ cartridges in mind. You can use a hi-fi cartridge (I have a Nagaoka MP-110) but a truly high end cartridge may not perform well on this kind of turntable because of the tonearm design. That’s why the absolute best turntable ever to me is a Technics SL-1200 modified by KAB Electro Acoustics. It has the best of both worlds: The accuracy of a direct drive with quartz-locked pitch control, plus a finely engineered tonearm like that of the Pro-Ject.

Still, I’m really happy with my Numark TTXUSB loaded with a Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge. I’ll only think of replacing it when I can get a Technics-style turntable with a Pro-Ject style tonearm.

Sam Johnson

Thank you for your update.

Mark

Hi, great article, Im going to buy the Pro-ject Debut Carbon because of it.

What is the best Phono and DAC preamp to pair it up with or is there one device that function as both. I have a huge collection of Mp3’s and FLAC’s that I listen to either on my PC, iPod4 (non-FLAC) or Samsung 4.2 Galaxy Player through a pair of JBL LSR305 active speaker monitors that have Balanced XLR and 1/4″ inputs.

I’m going to be using the Pro-ject Debut Carbon mostly to listen to vinyl and on very rare occassions convert vinyl to digital.

I’m hoping to find the best device for $500.00 that lets me enjoy the best of both worlds.

Anthony Michaels

I’ve personally looked around and have asked that very same question in many forums and I can tell you that the definitive answer is there is no all in one ADC or DAC that can do both. It’s just one of those situations where if you have allot of money to waste on 2 separate devices you do just that. But if I were you I’d put all my focus on getting a good preamp for phono and not even bother with a DAC for your digital files. If you want better sound from your digital file on your PC I would invest in a better sound card. As I’m sure you know by now the JBL LSR 305’s sounds really good. And if you want to take it a step further in the future and want even better sound, upgrade to the next model or another brand.

If you want to get more idea’s on how to go about you Project Debut Carbon set up. Check out the link below. I find both the information here on thewirecutter and also the information in the link below to be very helpful.

I’ve personally looked around and have asked that very same question in many forums and I can tell you that the definitive answer is there is no all in one ADC or DAC that can do both. It’s just one of those situations where if you have allot of money to waste on 2 separate devices you do just that. But if I were you I’d put all my focus on getting a good preamp for phono and not even bother with a DAC for your digital files. If you want better sound from your digital file on your PC I would invest in a better sound card. As I’m sure you know by now the JBL LSR 305’s sounds really good. And if you want to take it a step further in the future and want even better sound, upgrade to the next model or another brand.

If you want to get more idea’s on how to go about you Project Debut Carbon set up. Check out the link below. I find both the information here on thewirecutter and also the information in the link below to be very helpful”

Update:

Thanks for the advice Anthony. I decided to not go through with my plans to get back into vinyl. But thanks for the information anyway.

eldoco

Don’t do it. Get the Rega RP1.

Mark

After thinking I wouldn’t go through with getting back into some vinyl I actually changed my mind and decided to go through with it. I purchased a Pro Ject Debut Carbon (DC) Espirit and a Heed Questar (MM) phono stage. I hooked it up to my JBL (LSR) 305’s and I have to say I feel like a smart guy because I’m really happy about how great it sounds. I pretty sure had I chose a Rega RP1 I would be equally happy with the sound but my reasons for going with a Project turntable was based on the many different reviews from different sites that put it above all the other turntables in it’s price range. Plus I like the physical appearance of the Project turntable more then the Rega RP1. I know there are complaints on some sites about a humming sound associated with some of the Project Debut Carbon but mine doesn’t have that problem. Straight out the box it’s been working fine.

vvas

As someone else has already mentioned, it’s worth updating this article at some point with information about the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC, the recent update with a new DC motor (and which I’m now waiting to receive). Also, another model that’s potentially worth checking out alongside the Audio Technica is the Music Hall USB-1.

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

I will see if I can get one in to test as I’d like to see if it has improved with the new motor.

RG

U-turn has acknowledged there were manufacturing issues with some tables earlier in 2014 which have been corrected. As long as you’re contuinung to post this article, you should at least afford them the opportunity to re-test their turntables and to update your article accordingly.

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

We offered them three chances when the piece first went up, each time being told they’d found what the issue was and the fix would correct it. However, if they have again found something that can be fixed and improved it, I’m happy to test it again.

eldoco

The Audio Technica AT-LP120 is not the best turntable for ‘casual listening’. The 120 is a DJ Turntable. People like it because it is mostly metal, and thus sturdy, which is because it was meant to be transported for DJs. A very similar alternative is the Music Hall USB-1. What makes the USB-1 better for listening is the tonearm. The Audio Technica has a short tonearm which was designed for scratching and that sort of thing. The USB-1 has a longer tonearm which is better equipped for listening.

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

Neither Audio Technica or Music Hall list physical arm length, but the effective arm length of the LP120 is 230.5mm to the 220mm of the USB-1 so I would doubt the tonearm itself is shorter.

Álvaro Martín Gómez Acevedo

It seems that you are thinking of a different turntable. The AT-LP120-USB does NOT have a short tonearm but a regular S-shaped tonearm with the same dimensions of the Technics SL-1200’s. The Stanton T.62, on the other hand, has that dreadful short, straight and underhung tonearm (which is still great for scratching, but not for hi-fi listening and record care).

Julie

this is a great article, super informative and well organized. Has made my buying-gift-for-the-boyfriend adventure a lot less painful.

Derek Stark

The scuttlebutt is that U-turn recently redesigned the Orbit’s main bearing (as of Sept ’14, maybe earlier). Will you be re-assessing the Orbit to see if the wow & flutter are improved? Or are the dodgy specs simply a side effect inherent to an AC-clocked motor? Does the acrylic platter actually help?

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

I can see if they have made a change that might have improved upon performance.

atlantis

Hello, I have a silly question, but I dont find any answer. I would like to have a turntable that can play my vynils directly to my bluetooth bose speakers, is that even a possibility?Or would I need to connect my bose speaker to that turntable with a cable?Sorry if that sounds silly but my old 70’s turntable is dead and I would like to invest into something that could possibly work with what I already have.Thanks for the answer!

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

AFAIK there isn’t a turntable that can output to Bluetooth. You could buy an analog to Bluetooth transmitter like this:

But I haven’t tested any of these and have zero idea about performance at all. With anything like this, though, you’re adding analog to digital and digital to analog conversions, likely with the cheapest possible chips they can use, and you’re adding lossy compression to your signal so it’s more mp3 than CD quality.

So yes, this might work, and if you just want a way to listen to records you already own it might work. It just might not sound that good, though.

Cheryl Leon Levy

I actually connected my ion turntable to my computer with a USB (I can hear the audio using the Audacity software) — and my computer connects to a bluetooth speaker. Not direct, but as close as I was able to get it. And it sounds great

Andrew595

This is a fantastic article…. thank you so much for your help.

Do you have a receiver and bookshelf speakers you’d recommend for this unit?

Very helpful article. Any word on the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon USB (DC) model? I gather that the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon USB from about a year ago had some issues with motor hum being transmitted through to speakers. Pro-Ject is advertising that adding a carbon tube to the tonearm (apologies if I’m getting my jargon wrong — I’m a total neophyte) is supposed to reduce the noise and hum.

I’m also curious about whether the pre-amp is any good, particularly as compared to the A-T model reviewed here. Also, from what I saw on some recent Amazon reviews, there have been reports of warped platters and A-T units that only play one channel (due to problems with the built-in pre-amp?).

Anyway, just wondering. Thanks again for a very thorough article.

Álvaro Martín Gómez Acevedo

This is perhaps the most unbiased review I’ve read. Great article! I also consider the AT-LP120-USB the best turntable you can get for the least money.

Bryan

When listening to music, it’s my ears that care the most, but my eyes just don’t like the AT! I think it is a pretty ugly turntable. But as I have said, when I close my eyes and enjoy the sound, the visual aspects don’t really matter… Disappointed to hear about the U-Turn’s flaws. Thanks for a thorough review!

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

I think it’s the perfect mix of old & new! Reminds me of one my mother had when I was growing up even.

Jason Herbert Kaufman

Thanks for that great article, I had a turntable eV in the l la te 70s and like alot of other people these days are going back to the great sound that you cant get anywhere else, this article proves ive been right all along. Records sound better then cds, mp3 ….ect…. im just worried lps will start to get expensive again because of this articule

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

That’s a valid concern, but doubt records will get that expensive in the near future.

jholgate

How’s about pairing this with a Denon DL-110 cart for an entry to mid-level turntable system?

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

Forwarded along to our expert!

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

The DL-110 is going to be overkill for the Audio Technica. It will be OK with the Pro-ject, but that is about as expensive a cartridge as I would put on it. If any one component on the system (turntable, tonearm, cartridge) is the limiting factor, you won’t really get everything out of the system. I’m using the Shure m97xe on the AT-120USB right now which is a very nice cartridge, and you can upgrade later with a Jico stylus if you would like.

http://thatmarriedguy.com/ Married Guy Matt

Wow that’s a fantastic post. Thanks for all the information.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

You’re most welcome!

VonTron

Great review! Despite your best advice, I purchased the U-turn Orbit (partially for aesthetic reasons). I have the record player hooked up to a Pyle PP 999 Phono Pre Amp which is hooked up to my Vizio soundbar (on that purchase I did follow your advice). I have noticed a slightly muffled or distorted sound to the music, especially noticeable with the vocals. I was hoping you could tell me how to fix this. Is it the pre amp? The record player? The soundbar? Thanks for your help

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

It shouldn’t be the sound bar, as I’ve had no issues with that myself. It could be the preamp, as I’ve not used that one myself so I have no idea how it is, or it can easily be the table since in our testing it didn’t perform up to specs. However, the preamp has a load impedance of 10K Ohms, while the cartridge is designed for a load of 47K Ohms. Almost all MM cartridges are designed for 47K Ohms, so that’s a bit of a strange design decision, but one that could partially cause what you’re hearing. Do you have access to another preamp to test?

VonTron

It was the preamp. I returned the Pyle and picked up an ART DJ Pre II and now the turntable sounds great! Thanks for your help and all of the great work.

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

Glad to hear it’s working for you now.

cass

Great article! I am wanting to purchase the Audio Technica LP120 record player. I have a pair of JBL Audio 62T speakers. What else do I have to have to play the record player? Also is there an input to play music off of a phone or iPod through the record player?

You must have gotten a cherry pick of a AT. Having the gift or curse of perfect pitch I can tell you the AT has huge amounts of wow and flutter. You may not notice because of the knocking motor bleed. The anti skate is fake by the way. The Debut Carbon has a bit of motor hum but has a high enough signal to noise ratio to cover it. The Rega RP1 is complete garbage and they should be ashamed of themselves. For the build quality and price I would have picked the Orbit as winner.

http://referencehometheater.com/ Chris Heinonen

We measured Wow and Flutter using Platter Speed and a test record from Feickert, and using an Audio Precision APx582 test instrument. The raw numbers can be found above and the Pro-Ject is the best, but everything did much better than the Orbit. We tested multiple tables from them and they all had a pitch issue that was easy to hear and backed up by the objective data.

Delboy72

I have an Audio – Technica LP60 and although it sounds great and cant argue with the price I find it skipping a lot and especially on new records. It’s becoming an annoyance. I need a turntable with a more weighted tone arm , anti skate etc. I don’t want to get Audio Technica again. I’m looking at Project Debut, TEAC 300 and some others around $400 or so. Any recommendations?

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

We like the Project Debut Carbon. It’s our runner-up and used to be our main pick.

WpgAudioNut

Thanks for this fantastic article.
I recently purchased a new HiFi system built around the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon turntable. Yamaha 80w/channel receiver and Yamaha speakers. The sonic quality is very impressive. Having not played LPs for many years, I was blown away by the clarity, musicality and engaging qualities that this system delivered. The experience was a huge step up from what I have come to expect from CD playback. I am relieved to find out that my local stereo shop (not a big box store) had advised me well in recommending the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, and that my money was well spent. I can endorse the great sound quality of the turntable, but also offer these criticisms:
1. the anti-skate weight is finicky and has fallen off at times (as mentioned in the article), however my stereo shop pointed out that the turntable will play back just fine without the weight, with the worst-case consequence of left/right audio balance being off slightly. Some people just remove the weight altogether.
2. the supplied felt pad on the platter is annoying when static causes it to stick to a record when you lift it off. I replaced the felt pad with a cork pad and all is well.
I absolutely agree that finding older, rare music is sometimes only possible by getting your hands on the vinyl version from your local used record market or online reseller. This certainly has been my experience.

All the experts I talked to were unanimous: when buying your table, buy a Spin-Clean. For $80, there’s no better way to clean vinyl. No matter what you spend on a turntable, it only sounds as good as the record does.

With the help of a graphic designer, we tested 11 iPad styluses to find the best for notes and sketching. The Adonit Jot Pro has a clear plastic disc tip so you can see what you’re drawing or writing (a feature the competition universally lacks). It’s also comfortable to hold and it most closely mimicked the feeling of pen on paper during our tests.